Public Libraries

Whether to deliver information in an enjoyable format, provide analysis of historical events, or dispense an innovative look at the future, multimedia continues to grow as a meaningful component of curriculum.

Public libraries work with groups from health departments to community-based organizations and provide access to everything from cooking classes to safe walking routes.

In the latest lawsuit battling censorship, Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster, and Sourcebooks have filed a lawsuit challenging an Idaho law that restricts books in both public and school libraries. 

There are varied paths to the profession. Find out how these librarians found their way to the library.

Spotlighting the history of Jim Crow and civil rights struggles outside the South, along with recent books and teaching resources on the topic.

Progress toward a more racially diverse publishing workforce has been slow. Publishing leaders face political and economic changes that may make further progress harder.

The American Library Association issued a strong statement in response to the actions of the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, saying, in part: "In their cruel and headlong effort to terminate protections from discrimination for LGBTQIA+ students and students of color, the Department of Education advances the demonstrably false claim that book bans are not real. Book bans are real."

PEN America and EveryLibrary respond to the action taken by the Trump administration, which called the book bans "a hoax" and also voided a resolution agreement with Forsyth County (GA) Public Schools.

Some kids love narrative nonfiction; others, expository literature. Learn more about these two styles of books and browse a list of recent outstanding examples.